Ventilator-car



4 (No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 1.

L. WEINBERGER. I

VENTILATOR GAR. v No. 558,330. Patented Apr. 14, 1896.

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(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 2. L. WEINBERGER. VENTILATOR OAR.

Patented Apr. 14, 1896.

ANDREW BLBAMAM. PNO'IOUTNUWASHINGTON. DC

U ITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

LOUIS WEINBERGER, OF NEWV ORLEANS, LOUISIANA.

VENTlLATOR-CAR.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 558,330, dated April 14, 1896.

Application filed May 2'7, 1895. Serial No. 550,84Q. (No model.) I

T0 on whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, LoUIs WEINBERGER, a citizen of the United States, residing at New Orleans, parish of Orleans, State of Louisiana, have invented an Improvement in Ventilator- Cars; and I hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the same.

My invention relates to certain improvements in cars.

It consists in certain details of construction which will be more fully explained by reference to the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a view of my car. Fig. 2 is an interior view of the same, showing one corner and its surroundings. Fig. 3 is a horizontal section through one of the side fines. Fig. 4 is an end view of one of the end doors. Fig. 5 is a section of one of the door-hooks. Fig. 6 is a longitudinal section of one of the top gates. 7 is a cross-section through one of the side-door looks.

The object of this invention is to provide certain improvements in the ventilation of cars which are employed in the transportation of fruit or other perishable products. These improvements are especially adapted to a car for which patent was issued to Harry H. Love October 30, 1894, No. 528,231. The car is constructed with double top, bottom, sides, and ends, separated by longitudinal and transverse timbers to form lateral air-passages so arranged that a circulation of air may be constantly promoted while the cars are in motion.

A is the bottom of the car.

Bis an inner bottom separated from the bottom A by longitudinal timbers O. The inner bottom is perforated with openings through which air, which is admitted into the channels between the timbers O, is allowed to pass upwardly into the interior of the car, and thence it passes out through openings or passages in the inner roof and is delivered so as to escape through the longitudinal passages between the outer and inner roof.

The first part of my present invention relates to an improvement in the gate or door by which air is admitted through the end of the car into the spaces between the bottoms A and B.

D represents the door,'which is made with beveled top and bottom, and when closed this door fits into a correspondingly-beveled opening E made in the end of the car near the bottom.

' F is a transverse bar extending across from side to side of the cara suificient height above the door-openin g to allow the door to be raised up and attached to this bar, so as to leave the opening entirely clear.

The bar F is supported a sufficient distance from the Vertical end of the car, and guiderods G are fixed to it and extend downwardly, the lower ends being curved inwardly and secured to the car just below the opening E.

The door D has loops or eyes H, fixed to the lower edge and surrounding the vertical guide-rods G, upon which they are slidable. At the upper side of the door are forked arms I, which project outwardly upon each side ofthe vertical rods G and serve as guides for the upper side of the door, while allowing it to move to and from the car end. When the door is raised, it is supported and connected with the bar F by means of hook-shaped plates J, secured to the top of the door and having the concaved portion adapted to fit against the transverse barF. These plates'J are slotted, and within the slots are fitted slides K, which are movable by means of projecting handles L, extending through slots on the exterior and convex surfaces of the plates J. WVhen these slides K are withdrawn into the plates J, t11e door is free to be moved up or down. When it is raised so that the concave inner faces of the plates J are in contact with the bar F, the slides K are projected so as to extend above the bar, and thus suspend the door and hold it open. \Vhen the door is to be closed, these slides are Withdrawn, and the door moving down upon the vertical guide-rods G the lower end will be carried inwardly by reason of the curvature of these rods at the bottom, and will thus fit into the bottom of the beveled opening E. The upper end of the door is then forced into place bymeans of camshaped arms M, which are hinged to the upper part of the door, and the outer ends of these arms have grooves or channels M formed in them, so that when turned over outwardly these grooves or channels press against the vertical rods G, and thus force the upper part of the door into its seat in. the

and the lower ends of these bails are adapted.

beveled upper part of the opening E, where it is locked, and the opening is hermetically closed. lVhen the door is to be moved, these arms M are turned about their fulcrum-pins, thus releasing them from the pressure upon the rod G and allowing the upper part of the door D to fall outward. The door is then raised by suitable handles 0 fixed upon it and is suspended from the rod F, as previously described.

The inner side of the openingE is suitably covered with fine screen material to keep out dust and cinders, and the air which passes through it when open passes into the spaces between the longitudinal timbers G in the floor of the car, and thence through the openings in the inner floor B into the car.

P P are valves or gates-covering the openings into these longitudinal channels, and these valves are made of sheet-rubber or other elastic material easily movable, so as to be forced open to allow the current of air from the outside to pass in at one end, while the valve at the opposite end of the car is correspondingly closed to prevent any egress of air at that point.

There is but little difficulty in producing a proper circulation through the central portion of the car; but in order to produce a circulation close to the sides I have found it necessary to employ separate channels or tubes Q, which extend upwardly in each corner of the car, and are connected with suitable wind openings or funnels R, which project above the top of the car and are turnable about the upper ends of the pipes Q, so as to face in whichever direction the car may be traveling. Air is thus forced down through the pipes Q and delivered at the lower end into the chambers or passages between the floors of the car, and at the corners thereof.

The lower ends of the pipes Q are open toward the passages between the floors and are provided with guide or direction plates S, which project, as shown in horizontal section, so as to separate and divert the air which enters through these tubes, the object being to divert it into the space and beneath the inner floor and cause a general circulation, so that air will be delivered regularly and evenly throughout the whole interior of the car.

T T are covers hinged in the roof of the car and adapted to be opened or closed, so that those at the end toward which the car is running may be opened to admit airinto the space beneath the double roof, as shown in the former patent alluded to. These doors have loops or bails U hinged to their front ends,

to engage with racks Vfixed in the space beneath them. When the bails are pushed back against the lower sides of the doors, the latter may be closed down; but when the doors are raised the bails are drawn forward, so as to engage any one of the teeth of the rack V, and by this arrangement the doors may be opened as much or as little as maybe desired.

fixed in the ends of the arm 9.

From this description it will be understood that when the doors T are closed down at the rear they do not completely close the rear ends of the roof-passages, but only reduce them to their normal size, otherwise there could be no flow of air and the whole operation would be interrupted.

The air-passages Q are controlled by sliding gates or dampers WV, which are movable so as to open or close the passages to any desired extent, thus regulating the supply of air through these passages.

In order to arrange suitable side doors for access to the car without interrupting the longitudinal passages in the walls of the car, the doors a are made with double walls corresponding with those of the car sides and have horizontal timbers 1) extending across between them and corresponding in position with those in the car sides, so that when the doors are closed the passages are continuous from end to end of the car.

The doors are hinged or slidable, as desired, and are locked when closed by the vertical L-shaped bars 0, which are slidable in guides d upon the doors, so that the ends enter sockets above and below the doors. The horizontal arms of these bars are channeled or slotted, as shown at e, to receive pins f, This arm is pivoted at the center in one of the horizontal timbers by means of a pin or bolt h passing through it and having a crank-arm '5 on the outer end. This arm is movable in an arc of a circle and has a pin at the outer end fitting a socket Z in the door to retain it in place when the door is locked. When the arm g is turned, the pins f, sliding in the slotted arcs 6, act to move the bars a to lock or unlock the doors. When the doors are locked, the pins 7c engage the sockets land hold them, and when disengaged the arms i are turned back, thus rotating the arm g and withdrawing the locking-bars c. The pin it is screwthreaded where it passes through the timber b, so that the pin moves inwardly when the arm 2' is turned to lock the door and outwardly when turned in an opposite direction.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. A car having double floors and roof-sections with longitudinal passages extending therethrough, supplemental passages or pipes extending vertically down the corners of the car and connected with adjustable wind-funnels at the top, openings from the bottom of said pipes into the passages, hinged doors at the ends of the roof adapted to be opened so as to admit air into the roof-passages, bails hinged to the forward ends of these doors and horizontally-disposed racks in the space below the doors with which the ends of the bails engage whereby the amount of openings of the doors is regulated.

2. A car having double floors and roof-see tions with longitudinal passages extending therethrough, openings in'the ends of the car communicating with the passages between the floors, and passages through the inner floor by which the air is admitted from these pas-' sages into the interior of the car, gates or doors vertically slidable upon guiding-rods with means whereby the doors are closed into the openings or raised and suspended to allow the air to enter, and valves covering the passages by which the air is admitted into the spaces between the floors, said valves consisting of flexible rubber strips adapted to be opened by the pressure of the air from the outside and closed by pressure from the interior whereby air is admitted from one end of the car and prevented from escaping at the other.

3. A car having double floors and roof-sections with longitudinal passages extending therethrough, openings through which air is admitted at the ends of the car and diverted said pipes into the passages between the floors,

and diverging directing-plates extending into said passages'from said openings.

In witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand.

LOUIS VVEINBERGER.

NVitnesses:

J. S. SPILMAN, V. L. HATFIELD. 

